BATON ROUGE - Aug. 1 is the technical date when a new bowling season begins each year. So it seems appropriate that after a few weeks off, it’s time to get a new season of bowling news columns underway here at WBRZ.com.

And, unfortunately, there has been some very sad national news over the weekend which has to be our lead.

One of the stars of the PBA Tour in the last decade, Jakob Butturff, passed away unexpectedly on Friday at the age of 32. Butturff was an eight-time PBA Tour champion, including wining one major.

“Jakob was one of the most unique players in PBA history,” PBA Commissioner Tom Clark said. “Fans marveled at his delivery, as he rode a wave of strikes into becoming a top player in the sport, capable of winning at any time, in any event. Jakob was kind, he was respectful, and he was a champion. He will never be forgotten. Our hearts are with all Butters touched on his one-of-a-kind journey.”

That comment by Clark was repeated time and again over the weekend – kind, respectful, friend to all. Even some local and area bowlers talked about their experiences with Butturff. Ironically Butturff’s one major, the 2019 USBC Masters, came at the expense of local star Mykel Holliman who he defeated in the final match.

Butturff won three titles, including his signature major win in the 2019 USBC Masters, finished runner-up to Jason Belmonte in the PBA World Championship, and ranked second to Belmonte in points and earnings.

Butturff was born and raised in Las Vegas, and also lived in Phoenix, Ariz. and Binghamton, N.Y.

A CITY RECORD IN PENSACOLA

This was the weekend that the large contingent of area bowlers went to Pensacola for the annual Emerald Coast bowling event at Oops Alley. A local group finished Saturday with a Pensacola city record for a five-man team as confirmed by the local association in Florida.

Sumner Taylor had 257-696, Gregory Snee (who had a 300 in another shift) posted 268-720 with Terry Orr at 248-739. Mykel Holliman finished with a 259 high game and 773 and Hunter Cooper posted a 300 game en route to an 817 series. Add it all up and it ends up a 3,745 total, the best five-player total ever shot on a lane in Pensacola.

Cooper, who is from the Hammond area, also shot 300 and 817 in doubles on Sunday.

We’ll have official updated standings from the weekend later in the week and we’ll update things next Monday, but a city record has to be in first place, doesn’t it?

SACKS OF CASH

It was another successful summer series of Monday night tournaments at All Star Lanes here in Baton Rouge.

Here are some of the top results from July – the Firecracker event on July 6 which involves four different games and different scoring methods went to Michael Baham and Lakeya Smith Anthony. De’Marcus Quiett and Kolby Anderson won $428 in the scotch doubles event.

The team of Brian Dinh and Asad Mohamed rolled 1,775 to win the no-tap doubles event with $502 and Mykel Holliman won $333 in the final event last Monday, the no-tap eliminator.

GOOD FINISHES FOR LOCALS IN JUNIOR GOLD

Several bowlers from Louisiana joined bowlers from around the country in the annual Junior Gold event in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota earlier in the month. There were several who were able to get through early qualifying to the advancers round, including St. Joseph’s Academy graduate Ava Doucet, who will shoe up for UAB this fall.

Doucet, who as we announced earlier made the Dexter High School All-American team, really wasn’t making plans to bowl but since she was in Minnesota for the awards (where she was named team captain of the All-American team), she decided to bowl and really bowled well, advancing to the second advancer’s round to finish 24th.  

The highest finisher among Louisiana bowlers was Logan Nguyen, in the U12 boys’ bracket. Nguyen finished 10th, 43 pins outside the top eight to advance to match play. The top-10 finish is believed to be the first for a Louisiana bowler since 1998.

We have some other notes that we will get to next week, discuss a tournament that didn’t happen in July and one that is set for another renewal in September when we join you for Spare Notes next Monday.

Until then good luck and good bowling,

                                                        Kent Lowe